1972 Pontiac Firebird Formula 455
America was on one heck of a rollercoaster ride in 1972. It was riding the highs of the mini skirt, David Bowie morphing into Ziggy Stardust, playing Pong on the television and watching “The Godfather” at your local drive-in. All the while, the Vietnam War was still brewing, OPEC’s oil embargo was on the horizon and automakers were cutting horsepower amidst stricter government regulations. The latter was enough to make grown men cry. The 1972 Pontiac Firebird was teetering that year; sales fell drastically as the muscle car market started to collapse, and then the unthinkable happened.
The Firebird in question here benefits from rarity, provenance, and a modern restoration that elevated it into concours-level condition. Originally, it left the factory with a combination of 34 factory options, including being one of just three delivered in special-order Starlight Black paint, as well as being one of only 82 built with the LS5 455 HO engine paired with an M22 four-speed manual transmission.
Inside, front occupants receive black “161” bucket seats separated by a full-length center console, while the driver gets a tilt steering column topped with a Formula steering wheel. Gears are rowed via a Hurst floor-mounted shifter, and an AM/FM radio pumps out plenty of cruising tunes.
In this day and age of over-restored trailer queens, this Bird was done with an eye toward retaining as much originality as possible. When you are able to reuse all of the original weatherstripping, sheetmetal, and interior, and effectively refrain from spending thousands to marginally “improve” upon a nonfunctional part on the car, it shows patience and a true love for the spirit of Pontiac performance.
1972 Pontiac Firebird Formula 455 in question here benefits from rarity, provenance, and a modern restoration that elevated it into concours-level condition.
